When you’re like me and are professionally connected to the legal industry in whatever capacity (as I have been in a couple of different ways at this point) and you mention your profession while making polite conversation on a plane or at a party, some asshole always has to be all witty and remind you, “Well, you know…Shakespeare said, ‘First thing we must do is kill all the lawyers.’ ” Then they give a self-satisfied laugh and everyone else laughs and I have to resist the urge to smack them upside the head and yell, ‘CONTEXT, MOTHERFUCKER! Listen, I’m sure you thought that was a really funny quote when you saw it printed on that totebag you got for donating to your local NPR station, but if you actually read the play it comes from, you’ll see that the characters want to kill the lawyers because lawyers are learned individuals that will stand in the way of their rebellion.”*

Personally, I am the opposite of cynical when it comes to the legal profession. I do believe that the law is a noble profession and that attorneys and legal scholars are some of the best and brightest minds in the country. So it’s absolutely mystifying to me how almost everything to do with with it – starting with law schools and ending with the court system and everything in between – has gotten so screwed up. Law schools are churning out way too many students that aren’t prepared for the modern practice of law. Millions of people that need legal assistance can’t afford it. The very foundation of the legal system – our laws – are inaccessible to many, if not most, of the people that need it. From soup to nuts, the legal system needs an overhaul.

And I don’t even have time to begin listing all the ways libraries and the information industry have lost their way.

But you know what doesn’t suck? My life. MY LIFE IS AWESOME.

It’s been a little over a month since I left libraryland and academia, moved to the unfamiliar big city of Chicago and starting working for CALI. In retrospect, it was kind of a crazy thing to do and now that I think about it, I finally understand all the weird looks I got from people when I told them about my plans over the summer. (But honestly, I get strange looks from people all the time so the craziness of this scheme didn’t really sink in until about a week ago.) Fortunately, it’s all worked out very well! I love everything about where I live and what I do and other aspects of my life and I’m very happy. So yay.

I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve been not blogging (and otherwise been not very active on social media)….I mean, a lot of it has to do with being very busy and learning the ropes of my new city and job, but honestly? I’ve been pretty content with my lot in life and haven’t wanted to harsh my buzz by thinking about all the problems in my professional corners of the world. Also, I didn’t want to be the jerk that always talks about how awesome their life is and how happy they are….although it is and and I am. *giggle*

However, I think I’ve had enough time in la-la land and I’m pretty well settled in. It’s time to start writing (here and other places) and otherwise being more engaged again. And let people know that I’m alive and well. And you know, I don’t really think that everything sucks….but I have some suggestions for the things that I think do.

So…I’m back, I guess.

* Yes, I am aware that there are other interpretations of that famous Shakespeare line that indicate that Shakespeare thought that lawyers, well, suck. I cherry picked the one that I like the best and that suited my blog post. Sue me. This is not a point that I feel like debating. I admit the other interpretations are equally valid. There. You win.